An implantable pacemaker treats cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, and/or other cardiovascular disorders by delivering electrical energy to the heart through one or more implantable leads. Before the implantation of the implantable pacemaker, an external (non-implantable) pacing and measuring device known as a pacing system analyzer (PSA) is used to ensure adequate lead placement, maintain basic cardiac functions, and/or evaluate pacing parameters for an initial programming of the implantable pacemaker. In one example of an operation implanting a pacemaker into a patient, the patient's heart is electrically connected to the PSA through implantable sensing-pacing leads. Various pacing modes and/or parameters are evaluated to determine whether the leads are properly placed and to determine a set of suitable pacing parameters. The pacemaker is then connected to the implantable leads and subcutaneously implanted in the chest area. An external programmer is used to program the pacemaker via telemetry, using the set of suitable pacing parameters determined with the PSA.
Advances in biomedical technology have provided implantable pacemakers with increasingly sophisticated features and operational modes. As a consequence, programming an implantable CRM device has become an increasingly complicated task for healthcare professionals. A known dual-chamber PSA capable of sensing electrograms from and delivering pacing pulses to two cardiac sites may not be able to accommodate desirable tests preparing for the implantation of a tri-chamber pacemaker. While a PSA remains a useful tool during the implantation, there is a need to provide a PSA that accommodates, among other things, increased number of sensing and/or pacing sites and pacing parameters.